Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-10-01

whose sublimity throws every traveller
into raptures.
Every now and then parties of men
have tried to reach the summit of these
mountains, and no one thought that a
lady had the courage to make the at
tempt. But there was one equal to the
emergency.
She was the wife of an army officer
stationed at Darjeeling. Her name, as
well as her husbands, is unknown, for in
her book, recently published, her mod
esty has caused her to withhold both
from the reader. The natives of Sikkim,
however, styled her the Mem Sahib
equivalent to Lady Mylord," by which
title we may refer to her when necessary
When Mem Sahib and her husband left
Calcutta for Darjeeling, they had re-
course to the bullock train 1t consists
of single wagon with almost solid
wheels, and the legal rate of speed is but
three miles an hour The native driver
sits in front and prods the bullocks in
cessantly. Now and then the animals
can be coaxed into a slow trot, but gem
orally they have their own way despite
the drivers unceasing work.
One night on the bullock train was
enough for our female traveller. She ex-
changed it for "palkee gharee," which
is sorry-looking vehicle, with closed
sides not unlike hearse. In this the
travellers were compelled to stretch them
selves out at full length, and in time
reached the Terai. a wild, malarious
swamp, full of dangers of all kinds.
They now began the real ascent of the
Himalayas. Their ponies failed to ma
terialize at the Terai, and they had to go
back to the bullock cart again. At last
Darjeeling was reached, but a thousand
and one perplexities had to be met and
overcome before the unpacking of bag
gage could be enjoyed. The English
officer entered upon the performance of
his official duties, while the Mem Sahib
sketched and explored their immediate
surroundings.
She could not gaze at the snowy peaks
of the Himalayas without wishing to
scale them. Stories of dangers con-
nected with the ascent did not deter her
She had come to India for excitement,
and the mountains promised to afford all
she wanted. She admits that she pes
tered her husband until he obtained a
three-months' leave of absence, and they
began to pack up for the trip.
Our lady traveller succeeded in coaxing
a sub-ruler in the province into becoming
one of the party, and native gentleman
named Tendook made another. Tendook
was somewhat of native dude; he af-
fected long robes of maroon-colored
cloth, and when arrayed to suit himself
he was worth looking at" as the saying
goes.
The little caravan which set out from
Darjeeling was well equipped. Nothing
needful was omitted. The Mem Sahib
engaged famous native cook who
squatted on the ground and smoked his
hubble-bubble pipe, while he held the
toasting fork to the fire between his toes.
For conveyance the party had lot of
ponies, but the lady fixed her heart on
"Bareilly dandy" which is nothing more
than "a reclining chair of cane suspended
by straps from strong boat-shaped
wooden frame extending into a pole at
each end" Four men carry the dandy"
and when the roads are not rough to
travel in it is pleasure.
The route took my lady into the tropi-
cal valleys where golden lemons hung
in abundance on countless trees then the
party assembled through the forests to
the summit of Mount Tongloo, 10000
feet above the sea.
Before starting an engagement had
been made with the soubah (ruler) of
Mongmoo to meet them at a certain
place with guides. He failed to come to
time, and the journey was resumed along
the crest of the Singaleelah range. 1t
was gradually onward and upward now.
The pine forests consisted of old trees,
covered with moss-not young tree
was to be seen.
On the top of Singaleelah the party
met the soubah, a patriarchal-looking
man In beard and gown. He brought an
experienced guide and lot of rice and